Measuring device.



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IESUBING DEVICE. (Appumio med my 13, 11599.)`

(No Model.)

WITNESS S rn: Noms versus nu. vgomuma, msmncrrou. o. c.

. to accommodate the mechanism employed in a bearing b, which bearing is secured to UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIS W. FRANTZ, OF VVAYNESBORO, PENNSYLVANIA.

MEASURIN G DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 677,074, dated June 25, 1901.

Application iiled May 13,1899.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIS W. FRANTZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at W'aynesboro, in the county of Franklin and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Measuring Devices, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my said invention is to provide an instrument for measuring fabric and such articles which can be held in the hand and run over the edge thereof and will register the length as the operation proceeds and be accurate, convenient, and inexpensive; and I accomplish said object by the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part hereof, and on which similar characters of reference indicate similar parts, Figure lis a top or plan view of one of said devices ready for use; Fig. 2, a horizontal section through the sanne on the dotted line 2 2 in Fig. 3; Fig. 3, a longitudinal vertical section on the dotted line 3 3 in Fig. 2; Fig. 4., a rear side elevation; Fig. 5, an under side plan; Fig. 6, a detail section on the dotted line 6 6 in Fig. 2, and Fig. 7 a detail section on the dotted line 7 7 in Fig. 2.

In said drawings the portions marked A represent t-he casing or frame of the device; B B', the operating-shafts; C, a pivoted cutter for severing the fabric at its edge; C', a rotary cutter for completing the severing operation, and D the fabric to be operated l ing, is mounted on shaft 8 to automatically reupon.

The casing or frame is of a form suitable and is adapted to be used as the handle by which the device is held and operated or pushed over the edge of the stuff being measured. It may be of metal or any approved construction. It is provided with bearings and supports for the various parts of the device and has a spring presser-arm A hinged to its under side on a pintle d, a spring a being mounted under its outer end to normally hold its opposite end pressed upwardly, as will be presently described.

The shaft B is mounted to rotate and slide the bottom of the casing by a vertical pivot Serial No. 716,688. (No model.)

b. Said bearing is located some distance inside the casing, and near or at the end of said casing Said shaft rests upon a block b2 and between a vertically-sliding Wedge b3 and a spring b4, both formed to support said shaft and provide for its adjustment sidewise at this point, for a purpose to be presently described. Said shaft projects to outside the casing and has a Wheel B2 mounted thereon to revolve therewith. Said Wheel is provided with a frictional surface on its periphery, Which extendsslightly below the lower surface of the casing. The presser-arm A is held against its under side by. the spring a'. The shaft B' is mounted in a bearing b5 in the other end of the casing in line With shaft B and abutting it. Behind said shaft B' is mounted a spring h6, which normally tends to push said shaft toward shaft B. Collars or stops 57 are provided on each shaft on each side of the bearings l) and b to limit the longitudinal movement of said shafts. Each of said shafts is provided With a Wormgear 1 and 2, respectively, on its inner end. The Worm l on shaft B is adapted to engage Vwith a toothed gear-wheel 3, mounted on a vertical shaft 4. Another toothed Wheel 5, smaller in diameter and mounted on the same shaft, engages with a toothed Wheel 6 of larger diameter on an intermediate shaft 6a. Another toothed wheel of smaller diameter is mounted on said intermediate shaft and engages with a toothed Wheel 1l on a vertical shaft 8. A coiled spring 9, with one end secured to said shaft andthe other to the casverse its position after operation. A disk lO, with graduationmarks and scale-numbers around its edge, is mounted. o n shaft 4, and the wheels 6 and 1l are similarly formed. The scale and numbers of wheel l0 are made to designate inches, those onwheel 6 to designate feet, and those on Wheel l1 to designate yards, and the gearing is so arranged as to relative proportions and sizes that the motion of the periphery of Wheel B2 will be measured by said wheels or dials in inches, feet, and yards (or any other units of measure desired) and the figures representing the measurements Will show through apertures left in the top of the casing for the purpose, as indicated in Fig. 1.

IOO

Adjacent to shaft et is another vertical'shaftv 12,' havingatoothed Wheel 1a thereon, which:

engages the Worm 2 on shaft B. An idlerpulley 15 is also mounted on said shaft, and a spool 16 is mounted on another shaft 17, located near it. On said spool 1G is mounted a tape or cord 1S, the end of which passes over the idler 15 and out through an aperture in the side ot' the casing, being provided with a ring 1' or other convenient device for a pull. A spring-brake s, Fig. 2, bears against the periphery of said spool andprevents it from turning eXcept as operated by force,.and a crank a? (or any suitable means) is mounted on the shaft of said spool for the purpose of- Winding it after being unwound; as Willbe readily"t11iderstood. V

My saidinvention is use'das follows :V It be= ing desiredto-measure a certainquantity of clothorother fabric or ilexible article,-'as D, theiinstruxnentfistaken in the hand, the

presser-arm A' thro Wn'away from the surfaceof :tliefrietion-Wheel B2 by pressing on itsv outer lend With thefinger, and said Wheel is placed' on; the edge-ofthearticleand 'said presser-armallowed to springfbackto clamp andhold'fitagainst said wheel. The-fabric is heldby one hand and the instrument pushed alongfover 1said *edge by'the other hand, in

which said instrument is held. Thelspring under the outer end of the presser-arm Will hold Athefabric tof'the surface of- WheelB2 with sufficientv force to produce the frictionl necessary tooperate it inmost kinds olfabric; biit if= additional pressure is required, as

in-tlie case of -very smooth fabric, suchas silkl orsatiii,=it can be 'supplied by pressure from the--ngers grasping the instrument, whichl are inffront of the pivot ofthe presser-arm, orY thelprcssurelcanbe relieved,if desired,for

any Ypurposebypressure'from the finger be# hindisaid pivotf tur-nthefwheelBeand the shaft vB, 0n which it is--motintedg-operating through theitrainof` gear Eabove' describedv the'indica'ting disks.Y

handlec onv the cutter C, Which-operates -tov cut-'aenotch in the edgeof thecloth atjust the point which marks the measurement. By

pressingupward on the end of arm A', just bef neath springw, the other endof said arm is throwndown to freeV thefabric from-the in#- strument, Whichlis vthenpushedfacross saidfabric, therotarylcutter C operating'to continuelthe cut started bythe cutter G until the entire Lbreadthis severed.' The fabric is thus-quickly measured Aand With'fgreater accuracy-than by 'the usualmethodandconvenientlycut at just theexact pointde'sired.

Whenltlie operation is completed, theinnerendfofJ-the shaft Bv is swung away from thel gear-Wheel 3 sufficiently to free its Worm there- The friction operates 'to' from-by forcing down the-Wcdgeb3 to swing said" shaft on the pivot b inthe desired direction, and the spring 9 operates to automatically return the disks and mechanism to the rst position. Then it is desired to use the tape 18, the shaft Bv is thrown-out of engagement 'withV the gear-Wheel Y3, When the spring b will operate to push the shaft B for- Ward,'pushing the shaft B out until the c01- lars t7 strike the bearings, .when the Worm 2 on said shaft will have come into engagement ,with the gear-Wheel 8. By drawing the tape or cord 18 out over the idler 15 the shaft 12 and gear-Wheel 1i thereon are revolved, which operates to drive said shaft B and through it the gear-wheel-S and the trainof gearing r connected therewith, operatingthe/ indicating-disks; as before described. Thus the end-z r can-be'secured or heldat a point fromwhich 485 it is desired tome'asurefadistancefand ther` instrument carried to"theotherpoint, WhenV the distance between -the tWoWi1l1-'be-indi` -cated in plain figures on the face of the "in:

strument. The brake s Willpreven tthe spool from unwinding -eXceptHWhenrfo'rce -is-'apf plied,1 and the crank CL2 v(orother*suitablef mechanism )furnishes a convenient mea'nsfo'rl Winding upthe tape -after 'itl/ has --been uneA Wound A Having thus fully describedmy saidf'invenr tion; what I claim as new,and-desire to-secureI by Letters Patent, is

1. In ameasuring instrument, thecombi'- nati'on; offthelcasing formed' to inclose-thejloo mechanism "and serve -as lthe 'handle'by'whichf"V the instrument-is operated; indicatinghdi'als" therein-beneath apertures'insaidcasing,said dials and'dial-shafts gearedtogether, anop erating-shaft `geared. thereto= and extending 105 tothe outside, a friction-wheehon its outerA end, aipres'ser-arm for holdingthe 'stutosaidl wheelmounted'on the casing in'positi-'onto be grasped and its te'nsionregulated by the*- hand holding thehinstrument,substantiallyulo as setv forth.

2. The combination, in almeasuri-ngdevicm' ofa casing, theindicating. mechanism; theL operating-shafts, the lgearingV connecting lthe same and the indicating mechanism,the fric` I 15 tion-Wheel, and-the presser for holding 'th-ew stulf to be measured to said Wheel, and the* severing device secured ina iiXed-posi-tionon said casing to-beoperated by thef'movementf' of :the Whole measuring Vdevice-acrosstlie-12o cloth, substantially as set forth? 3.V The combination, in a measuring instruir ment; of the casing, the indicati-ng devices,- the operating mechanism; theshaft Bmount@ ed to slideinapivoted bearing, the 'holdingj1z5 and adjusting devices forsaid-shaft, the shaftV B mounted to slide onlsaid shaftgand'prof vided With a` gear vWhich engages With -themechanism for operating the indicating 'defvices when it is slid forward,the gear for opf- -13c eratingfsaidshaft, the-idl'eron-the samefshaft with said gear, andthespool containing-'tape which runs over said idler, all substantially into engagement to operate the indicating as described and for the purpose specified. mechanism, substantially as set forth.

4. In a measuring device, the combination In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my of the casing, the indicating mechanism, the hand and seal at W'aynesboro, Pennsylvania, 5 two-part shaft one part arranged to be operthis 9th day of May, A. D. 1899.

ated by a friction-Wheel runninof over stuff to l 1 be measured and the other1 by abtape running WILLIS lv' E RANTZ' [L S] over an idler, said shaft being provided on Vitnesses:

each part with a gear and mounted to be ad- S. A. CLEVENGER, 1o justed to bring one or the other of said gears GUY E. ELDON. 

